I AM NEW TO THE CHAT ROOM. I WANTED TO BE SURE TO LET YOU AND ANYONE ELSE WHO MAY BE CONCERN KNOW ABOUT THIS MEDICATION. I HAVE BEEN TAKING TRAMADOL FOR ABOUT 3 YRS NOW. THAT'S 3 YRS STRAIGHT NOT BECAUSE I WANT TO, BUT BECAUSE I CAN'T JUST STOP TAKING THE MEDICATION. SINCE I HAVE BEEN TAKING THIS DRUG FOR SO LONG IF I MISS A DAY I WOULD EXPERIENCE VERY BAD WITHDRAWAL SYMTOMS. AS IF I WAS A DRUG ADDICT AND I HAVE NEVER BEEN ADDICTED TO ANYTHING IN MY 60 YRS OF LIFE.

I HAVE FM, BUT INITIALLY I WAS TAKING THIS MED FOR ANOTHER PROBLEM IN WHICH THE DOCTOR OR INTERN ASSURED ME THAT SINCE I WOULD PROBABLY BE TAKING A PAIN MED FOR A EXTENTED PERIOD OF TIME HE THOUGHT TRAMADOL WOULD BE A BETTER CHOICE BECAUSE IT WAS NOT HABIT FORMING OR SO HE THOUGHT. UP UNTIL SOMETIME THIS YEAR TRAMADOL WAS NOT LABELED A CONTROL SUBSTANCE BECAUSE UNTIL NOW IT WAS NOT CONSIDERED A DRUG, IT DOES NOT GET YOU HIGH OR ANYTHING IT JUST SEEM TO PRODUCE A CALMING AFFECT THAT WASHES OVER YOUR BODY AND IT MAY MAKE YOU A LITTLE DROWSY. THIS MED REALLY DOESN'T HELP VERY MUCH WITH ANY PAIN.

No offense...don't intend to rain on anybody's parade or contradict anyone's experiences or feelings about tramadol ( Ultram). Everyone is differnet in the way medications affect them. HOWEVER......I am 65. I have had CFS and Fibro for 16 years. With the horrible suffering and misery and near-death feelings I've lived with and coped with for all that time I really don't care what I'm addicted to at this stage of my life. If something helps me be out of bed, out of the house a little, and not not hurt or feel like death warmed over that's what I'm going with. I'm really sensitive to drugs and only take half or quarter doses of anything I've ever tried for this illness, but since they canned Darvocet and I was prescribed Ultram that's what I use and I am not going to beat myself up about using it or being addicted to it or going down the " I shouldn't be doing this" path much like people beat themselves up about eating ice cream when they just know eating more vegetables would cure them.

After all these years my philosophy on living with this illness is "whatever gets you through the night" (and day). God knows most of us have helped ourselves more than any doctor has.

My doc said Tramadol and Flexeril can be taken together. However, I have never taken them together. I took Tramadol during the day and Flexeril in the evening. Since Flexeril made me sleepy, I never felt I needed to take both at the same time. I hated how Flexeril made me feel the next morning, even with 5mg. I now only take 50mg Tramadol 2 x a day and sometimes 1 Advil.

Originally I was prescribed Tramadol for wrist pain (tendinitis) with no side effects. When it helped my FM, I researched it and decided it was the safest and most effective med. for me in comparisons to anything else I tried and couldn’t tolerate.

It’s been now 3 years the same dose. In between doses I do feel pain and get very tired. Other than that it’s been a life saver. Thanks to Tramadol, I went back to school and completed a degree. I am able to live a much better life doing things I love doing. I exercise on a daily basis. Here is an example of my week just to give you an idea how well I am doing.

I haven’t been on this board for years because I have been doing much better and if my old posts are still archived you will see that I refused to take any medication to treat my FM. I was against meds. I still am, except for Tramadol, because it helps me feel like a human being. Also makes me a bit happier, carefree, relaxed, and energetic.

I think it’s great that we have this board to share our experiences and this is why I came here tonight, to give an update. This is just my story. At the end of the day, everyone is responsible for their own decision and research.

Hi Deepac,
I've taken both tramadol and flexeril togeather with no problems. I did switch to soma instead of flexeril because it just worked better for me with no side effects. I've taken these drugs for yrs. without any big problems.

The down side to these drugs is that they do affect your memory, most pain drugs do. But, it's memory problems or pain and not being in pain wins every time. If people can manage without these drugs, that's always the best, but many of us can't. It comes down to the quality of life you want.

I took flexiril & Trams fine together. I mixed St. John's Wort tea with Tram & got Serotonin Syndrome. It was a mild case, but wow, you'll know it if you get it.

When I began Tram, it was said not to be addictive... for some it is, others not so much. I weaned off it over a month after about 5 years. Wasn't bad, but did know to expect a lot of crying, depression, etc. All that was temporary & since I knew it was opiod-based- or, rather, lack thereof- it was less harsh. A friend went thru a way worse time coming off Trams. Trams work on opiod receptors in a similar way to regular narcotics. In fact, T is being researched as an antidepressant these days. I def. felt better on them, but some months later I've evened out.

To anyone out there, don't white- knuckle it by cold turkey, as seizures are a poss. Trust your body & what it needs over time to get off T. Never did much for pain for me. --Good luck =)

You're a scant 15 years older than I, & I wholeheartedly agree with every word. When & if I find something that works, I'm sticking with it. & yeah, I know I've helped myself more than any doctor has.....

I'm not trying to be glib or discount other peoples' success with different treatments. Just trying to share how I feel about a few drugs that work for me and how I think some people worry too much about the fact that they have to take something for the pain or depression or anxiety or sleeplessness, etc. that CFS and Fibro bring. These illnesses are a real scurge on the lives of way too many of us and have robbed us of so much in the prime of our lives. If a small, long-term dose of narcotic pain killers or Xanax or whatever gives us even a small boost in our quality of life I say that far outweighs any worries I have about addiction or coming off them. I take such low doses of anything that I don't worry about it. I treasure every day I can go out to see the world or go on a road trip and see something interesting or clean my house, do some gardening or just feel up to talking to someone. Now, if only all our doctors saw it in a similar light instead of trying to be politically correct about controlling our constant symptoms.

ive been on ultracet for several yrs, i dont take it every day. (but almost) but i love it and it works great for me. i mentioned on one of the threads a while ago, that it even gives me a boost of energy as well as control the fibro pain. my cfs is worst than my pain.

my question to all is this, how come i cant take the tramadol or the ultram? they put me in the er twice, with severe dangerous vomiting. i dont know about the ultram, but the pharmacist says that tramadol is the same as the ultracet. i had to fight like heck to get my ins. to pay for the ultracet for even they said they were the same thing.

how come ultracet does not get me sick? no side effects at all. and i am the queen of side effects. and another funny thing, it was never given to me for the cfs/fibro thing. it was given to me for stomack problems by my gastro. and i inadvertently found out it was great for the cfids. what a pleasant surprise. i stopped using it for the stomack, as thats no longer a problem , since i went gluten free. oh the trials and tribulations of this DD.

First of all, like you, I have CFS/Fibro, but pain is not an overwhelming problem. I find the Ultram takes care of my achiness and, as you said, has an added "plus" of giving me some energy...kind of a slight pick up. That's a good thing for me.

As for you not being able to take one version of a drug and tolerating what is supposed to be the same thing. I went through years of that with every drug I was prescribed whether it was for blood pressure, thyroid, antibiotic, anything! I think it must be that there is at least one filler or ingredient in the untolerated version that just makes us react negatively...I think it's our wacky systems due to the CFS. Unfortunately, it puts us through the wringer every time we have to take something. My doctor just shakes his head every time I need something as he looks at the long list of stuff I just can't tolerate. Seems like it's a mile long!

Words, wow, it really helps reading some feedback on someone who has taken Tramadol for a long time and what to expect when weaning down. And encouraging that the withdrawal symptoms don’t last more than a month. I too take the minimal dose. If there no side effects I wonder if I can take it forever because I feel sooo incredibly good and pain free. I am so thankful for that.

I’m not surprised that it is being tested for depression, cause I boy do I feel happy and energetic. I have mild anxiety when I’m driving or when I feel overwhelmed but feel very relaxed when Tramadol kicks in.

Joanierav, maybe the tramadol or the ultram have hidden gluten in it and the ultracet doesn’t.

Is the same thing. Tramadol is the generic name for Ultram. Ultracet is basically the same thing, just not as strong, with acetaminophen added. Ultracet was not giving me enough relief, so my doc switched me to tramadol. It works better for me, and I've been on it for 8 years, taking at least 2/day. Still does not get rid of my pain, but takes the edge off.

Sorry, forgot the question...lol. I was on Flexeril at the same time as the Tramadol, so assume it's okay to combine the two. However, the flexeril didn't do a thing for me. As always, it does help others though. Hugs....[This Message was Edited on 12/05/2012]